Tag Archives: short story

In an attempt to establish credentials for treasure-hunter Don Fedora, the main character of “Cairo Heat”, I thought it might be a good idea to present personal testimonials from other characters in the story:

Todd and Debbie engage in a game of strip poker that has bigger stakes than either of them expected.

Todd thinks Debbie is the sexiest woman alive, despite the hideous Happy Burger uniform she’s wearing. The tatts peeking from beneath her tan outfit and the band-aid that’s not quite covering the ring in her nose tell him she’s just the girl for him. Unfortunately, she seems to think he’s a geek. Damn, why didn’t he change his clothes after his interview? It doesn’t matter, though. He’ll just have to convince her to take it all off him with a game of strip poker. Then she’ll see who he really is, and he’ll see what hides beneath her bland clothes.

Debbie can’t believe the dorky-looking guy who’s been staring at her since he and his friend sat down has the nerve to ask her out. No way! She’d never agree to go out with such a square. Then Todd bets he can surprise her, and Debbie accepts the challenge. Partly because she loves a good bet, but mostly because something dark and sexy in his eyes tells her he might be worth it. She’s shocked when he comes to pick her up in a sexy black truck with barbed-wire on the grill, and when he gets her back to his place for a game of strip poker, she finds the evening’s surprises may never sto

Excerpt

“What are we going to play?”

“Strip poker.” The corner of his mouth lifted, revealing a slight dimple.

She cocked her head, watching him for a moment. He sat across from her, with no emotion exposed. A great poker face. Well, a bet was a bet.

“Deal.” She tapped the table in front of her, and took another drink. “But I get to pick the game.”

“Order it up.”

“Five card stud. Show ’em if you got ’em. Nice and easy.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and moved her hand toward the pile in front of her.

He nodded and started to deal, fingers flying as the cards hit the table.

“Ah ah ah,” he said, waving a finger like a school teacher, “antes on the table first.”

He grasped his shoe, jerking it off his foot, and placing it on the table. She unbuckled her jacket and placed it next to the shoe. Her black tank top and leather shorts would have to come off before her thigh highs and garter, but she had both shoes before she got to that point.

“This is a standing ante,” he said, his eyes wandering over her in a way that made her want to stretch and expose more of her body to him. “That means whoever wins isn’t allowed to remove their ante and put it back on. You only win the other person’s clothes, but you can’t wear them. And you can’t win your own clothes back.”

Slick. Good way to get naked quick.

“All right.” She hoisted an eyebrow. “I can agree to that.”

A moment later, when their cards dropped onto the table, he’d dealt himself a pair of twos and her a pair of sixes. She wiggled her eyebrows, and collected the shoe. He went for the other shoe, but she put out a hand to stop him.

“Come on now. You aren’t really going to give me another shoe are you? Are you afraid to take off something more substantial?”